Racing Breeders

The Dukes of Grafton

The racing stud at Euston was founded by the 3rd Duke. The 3^rd witnessed the transition from races and matches run by horses four year old or older racing in heats of four miles, until one horse won two heats outright, to the form of racing more or less recognized today, with races for three-year-olds forming the basis of what have come to be known as the "classics."

The horses of the 3rd Duke and his son won the Derby or the Oaks 25 times between 1800 and 1837; the 4th Duke's horses won the 2,000 Guineas five times, and the 1,000 Guineas every year between 1819 and 1827, but one (1824).

While moderately successful with his eighteenth century runners, it wasn't until after the turn of the century that the Grafton racing successes came to the fore.

In 1802, Tyrant, a colt the 3rd Duke bred from Sea Fowl, a Dam of the Two True Blues mare , by Pot-8-Os, won Grafton his first Derby. Nimrod described Tyrant as "one of the worst horses that ever won a Derby," and his win was credited to the excellent riding of champion jockey Frank Buckle.

This was the beginning of a long, successful campaign on the classics races from the Grafton breeding program. The 3rd Duke saw the first decade of success based on the foundations laid by his breeding program just after the turn of the century. His son, George, the 4th Duke, continued the racing and breeding successes forward to the 1830s. Between them, the two Dukes won approximately £250,000 in public stakes in the years their horses ran, largely between 1800 and 1831.

The team assembled to support the Grafton efforts included John Wastell, who managed their stables at Newmarket and trainer Robert Robson. The Graftons employed a number of jockeys--Frank Buckle, Dick Goodison, William Clift and John Day among them. When Wastell died, his duties were assumed by the 4th Duke's half-brother, Rev. Lord Henry Fitzroy. Wastell, who was a member of the Jockey Club, managed the Duke's horses, keeping meticulous trial books for the Duke, and also bred and owned his own horses, his 1802 Oaks winner Scotia probably his most successful horse. A successful and respected trainer at Newmarket, Robson is generally credited with raising the status of trainer from glorified groom to professional. he had a reputation for "delicate handling" of his equine charges. Because of his successes, his influence in these matters spread to other stables; he was known as "The Emperor of Trainers." He trained four Derby winners for the Graftons--Tyrant, Pope, Whalebone, and Whisker--and Azor (1817) and Emilius (1823) for other owners. He also trained the 2,000 Guineas and 1,000 Guineas winners for the 4th Duke--all 13 of them between 1819 and 1827.

D'Arcy-Conyers Families

at Hornby Castle and Sedbury (Yorkshire, North Riding)

Sir Arthur D'Arcy (c.1515-1561), son of Thomas, Lord Darcy of Temple Hurst (Birkin parish, about 8 miles from Pontefract, Yorkshire), is associated with the establishment of royal studs in various parts of the country, to accomodate Henry VIII's burgeoning stables. Sir Arthur's son, Thomas (c.1540-1605), married Elizabeth Conyers. A list of the Conyers stud at Hornby during Lord D'Arcy's lifetime shows that two mares, Grey Royal, and another Grey Gorge, arrived at Hornby around 1620. Seat of Conyers family, near Sedgefield, Durham; "evidently maintained an important stud of Eastern-bred horses.

Rowland Place, Dinsdale (Durham)

Rowland Place (d.1676) served as stud-master to Oliver Cromwell during the Protectorate, and is known to thoroughbred historians as the owner of Place's White Turk, an influential early stallion in the General Stud Book. He is also credited with having secured or stolen the Coffin Mare (generally believed to have been the progenitress of Family 28) from Cromwell's stud in the confusion immediately following the Restoration.

Cuthbert Routh

at Dinsdale (Durham) and later Snape (Yorkshire, North Riding)

Cuthbert Routh (1694-1752) owned an important stud at Snape Hall in Well Parish, Yorkshire, and was a major supporter of racing in the north for over thirty years. His best-known contribution to the thoroughbred breed was Snap (1750, by Snap), from his Fox mare, who twice beat Marske in match races of 1,000 guineas each. Snap sired the unbeaten Goldfinder and 261 other winners, as well as a number of significant daughters, including the dam of *Sharke, and the Snap mare who was an early mare in Family 10, ancesstress of Queen Mary.

Routh's stud was initially located at Dinsdale, which he purchased from the Place family in 1719. He later moved the stud to Snape Hall, a long-time family seat of the Nevilles, where he had ancient family connections. George Baker, Routh's grandson, became a noted breeder and racing owner.

Shafto(e) Family

at Spennymoor (Durham)

An old border family, most prominent in the turf world in the mid-eighteenth century through the brothers Captain Jen(n)ison and Robert Shafto. Jenison Shafto purchased the colt, Snap (1750, by Snap-Fox Mare), from the estate of Cuthbert Routh, and raced him to wins in two 1,000 guinea matches against Marske at Newmarket. He also purchased and successfully ran Squirrel (not the earlier, more significant one, but the 1754 colt by Traveller from Dairymaid), who won a series of important races and matches between 1758 and 1760 and sired the dams of no less than seven classic winners. Jenison Shafto established a racing stable and stud farm at West Wratting, about 9 miles south of Newmarket, in Cambridgeshire, apparently sometime in the 1750s, since Squirrel ran in Newmarket, as did Shafto's top racers Antelope and Goldfinder. He was known for staging matches against time, and won one famous race, in which he backed himself to ride 50 miles in under 2 hours, which he did. However, he entrusted such racehorses as Snap to Thomas Jackson, Cuthbert Routh's trainer and jockey until Routh's death, when he entered Shafto's service.

Robert Shafto was "also a well-known breeder," and may have been located at the Shafto family seat, Whitworth Hall in Spennymoor.

These breeders were all excellent judges of a horse, and important in the early development of the English Thoroughbred. They were lucky enough to work with newly available horses from Arabia and had the vision and wealth to use the advantage. Of course a successful stud could also breed wealth. Putting a stallion to stud was an acceptable "trade" for a gentleman and potentially lucrative as well.

Other breeders near the Turn of the Century

Squire Watt of Bishop Burton

The Squire bred winners of the St. Leger. Altisidora in 1813, Barefoot in 1823, Memnon in 1825, and Rockingham in 1833.

Easby Abbey

Owned by Mr.Robert Jacques was one of the leading studs of the 19th Century. Mr.Jacques was also largely responsible for formalising racing at York.

Mr.Henry Peirse of Bedale

Mr.Henry Peirse, had at least one very successful year. In 1818 he raced Reveller and won the St. Leger. He must have had several excellent mares, because he also bred the horses that placed 2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^th.

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